麻豆视频

At tonight鈥檚 Board of Education meeting, trustees will consider drastic measures to balance a projected 鈥渨orst case鈥� deficit of $22.35 million 鈥� including cutting financial support for sports, drama, yearbook, newspaper, marching band, cheerleading and speech and debate.

The proposal is to eliminate 鈥渆xtra pay for extra duty stipends,鈥� uniform replacements funds, athletic trainer funds and co-curricular transportation funds for a savings of $1.261 million.

Trustees will also consider reducing the district鈥檚 counseling staff by 37 percent, eliminating one assistant principal position at each high school and raising K-3 class sizes at two grade levels. The Board previously approved raising class sizes for all other grades 鈥� including 40 students per teacher at the high school level.

Raising class sizes, which must be negotiated with collective bargaining partners, reduces the need for teachers. Also on tonight鈥檚 agenda, the Board will consider approving layoff notices to certificated staff, which includes teachers, counselors and other positions.

The district is racing to meet a March 15 deadline to present a balanced budget to the 麻豆视频 County Office of Education or risk receiving a 鈥渘egative鈥� rating, which could lead to state takeover. This year鈥檚 budgeting process is especially challenging as the state鈥檚 funding of K-12 district hinges on voters extending current temporary taxes in a June 7 special election.

So far, the legislature has not placed tax extensions on the ballot. Governor Brown is asking for a two-thirds vote in the Senate and Assembly for such a measure and has given legislators a March 10 deadline. If the taxes are not extended, SCUSD will face a $22.35 million shortfall.

鈥淭hese proposed cuts are terrible,鈥� said Superintendent Jonathan Raymond. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 an expendable position in our district. We have no surplus staff. We have no programs that are simply 鈥榠cing on the cake.鈥� Sports, drama, yearbook 鈥� these are programs and students need and deserve. Often, these so-called 鈥榚xtras鈥� are the only reason kids come to school.鈥�

SCUSD鈥檚 worst-case shortfall is on top of $177 million in cuts to SCUSD鈥檚 budget in the last nine years 鈥� a 35 percent reduction in what was once a $500 million budget. Even if voters pass tax extensions in a special election, it is projected that more cuts will be needed to balance SCUSD鈥檚 budget for next year, due to the lingering recession and enrollment declines in some areas.

To raise awareness of budget issues, the district has been holding a series of community forums. The district also has asked its community to participate in a Budget Priorities Survey, which is available at www.scusd.edu.

鈥淲e need the public to understand that years of the state balancing its budget on the backs of kids has eliminated all the easy solutions to public education under-funding,鈥� said Raymond. 鈥淎s a colleague of mine recently said, not only is all the 鈥榣ow-hanging fruit鈥� gone, the tree is gone.鈥�